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F. H. RICHARDS.

GRAIN WEIGHER. No. 443,718. Patented Dec. 30, 1890.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

P. H. RICHARDS. GRAIN WEIGHER.

No, 443,718. Patented Dec. 30, 1890.

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UNITED STATES FRANCIS II.

PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARDS, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE PRATT & WHITNEY COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

GRAIN-WEIGHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 443,718, dated December 30, 1890.

Application filed August 5, 1890- Serial No. 361,042. (No model.)

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS H. RICHARDS, a citizen of theUnited States, residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grain-\Veighers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to regulator grainweighers, the object being to furnish stop-mo- (0 tion apparatus interposed between the regulator and the valve mechanism, whereby at a predetermined time a shiftable connection may be operated for rendering inoperative the valve mechanism and thus stopping the r 5 machine.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of grain-weigher mechanism embodying my present improvements. Fig. 2 is a view similar to a portion of Fig. 1, showing the stop-motion apparatus in a different position. Fig. 3 is a front view of the parts shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is aplan view of said parts of the machine which are above the line a a, Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the parts immediately below the line a a, Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a view similar to a portion of Fig. 1, showing a modification of the stop-motion connections. 0 Similar characters designate like parts in all the figures.

For illustrating my present improvements, I have shown the same applied to the regulator grain-weigher, which is described and claimed in my prior application, Serial No. 324,242, filed September 17, 1889, to which reference may be had for a more particular description thereof. As shown in said prior application, the frame-work carries at the 0 top thereof a plate 5, on which is formed the supplychute H, and which also carries the supporting-bearings and knife-edges for the scale-beam B, which beam is furnished with a knife-edge 27 for the main weight, (not herein shown,) and at its front end with knife-edges, as 15, for supporting the grainbucket. The scale-beam also carries the shiftable actuator 115 and a fixed stud 105. Between said stud and actuator are connecting-links 112 114, which connect with each other, and also with the regulator-rod 95 at the point 108. The forward end 116 of said actuator (which is usually shiftable substantially radially of -the scale-beam) acts upon a cam-arm of the cut-off valve 7 O, which valve 5 5 is pivoted to the supply-chute at and usually has an upwardly-extending arm 120, carrying a weight, as 119, for closing the valve. The regulator-rod 95 extends down to the normally-fixed point 110, where it connects with the weight-arm 10 of the regulator P, which is pivoted at some suitable point as, for instance, at 7to the frame-work of the machine.

For the purposes of my present improvements the stud 105 is extended outwardly farther than shown in my aforesaid applica cation, and the link 112 has a lengthened hub, on the outer end of which is the arm 112', to which arm the rod 95 directly connects, and thus indirectly connects with said link 112; also, the stud 110 is carried on the end of an arm 110', which projects laterally from the regulator-arm 10 to the slot 10 in the side wall 2 of the frame-work. This modification of the construction shown in my said prior application results in bringing the rod 95 outside of said side frame 2 into a position more convenient for attaching the stop-motion mechanism. It will be understood, however,'that the aforesaid parts may be so arranged that the rod 95 will come, as in said prior applic'a' tion,insideof said sidewall 2 without departing from my present invention, thearrangement shown herein being one of convenience only and not essential. The stud 1104s; normally fixed, so far as concerns the ordinaryfopera tion of the weighing inechan'ism and so far as concerns the action of the stop-motion devices, being movable only for the separate function of the regulating of the machine. \Vhere it is not required to regulate the speed of the machine, the regulator, may be dispensed with and the stud 110 be fixed directly to the frame-work, as not shown, but as 5 will be clearly understood.

According to my present improvements, the regulator-rod is formed in two parts 95 and 95, respectively, which parts are so connected as to have a normally-fixed aggretoo gate or total length as in Fig. 1. iVhile the grain-weigher is in operation this length is such, as shown in Fig. 1, that when the hopper I is raised, the point 110 being lowered, the aforesaid links 112 and 114 extend in about a straight line with their middle pivot 108 substantially coinciding with the axis of the seale-beam. Said rods 95 and 95are for the aforesaid purpose connected by two suitable links and 32, which are pivoted to the said rods, respectively, at 31 and 33 by studs or pivots, as indicated in the drawings, the pivot 33 passing through a slot 35 in the rod 95. Said rods 95 and 95 are connected to slide one upon the other by means of clasps or guides 36 and 38, which guides are secured to one of said rods and are fitted to slide upon the opposite rod in a well-known manner. The links 30 and 32 are connected by a pivot to each other and to the link 89, which is pivoted at 40 to the arm 41 of the stop-motion lever, which lever 42 is pivoted at 43 to the frame-work, and is operated by any suitable weight, as 44, to throw the aforesaid connecting-rod length-changing links from the position shown in Fig. 1 to the position shown in Fig. 2. The lever 42 is held normally in the position shown in Fig. 1 by means of the stop pin 45, fixed therein, and which rests on the rim 46 of the stop-wheel 48. Said stop-wheel is secured by a stud 49, fixed on the frame 2, and is actuated by a pawl 51, which is carried 011 the aforesaid stud 105 (or by some other suitably-arranged pivot) and engages with the teeth 52 of the wheel 48. On each movement of the scale-beam B the pawl 51 turns forward the wheel 48 one tooth or division, and so long as the machine is in operation continues intermittently turning said wheel until the slot or let-elf notch 47 in the rim 49 comes to the point shown in Fig. 2 under the stop-pin of the stop-motion lever 42, when the wei ht 44 throws down said lever until said pin 40 rests on the inside of the rim 49, as shown in Fig. 2. By this movement or working-stroke" said arm 42 acts through the arm 41 and links 39, 30, and 32 to slide the rods 95 and 95 to increase or change the aggregate length thereof, thereby raising the links 112 and 114 to draw back the shifta-ble actuator 115, and thus allow the valve to close and cut off the supply of grain to the grain-weigher. \Vhen said actuator-links 112 and 114 are operated by the hopper P, the links 30 and 32, being connected by the link 39 to the normally-fixed point 40, have a slight movement toward the right hand in Fig. 1 during the vertical move ment of the rod 95. Said links 30 and 32, being pivoted at 31 and 33, are free to move in either direction, except as the same are controlled by said link P9.

My invention is not limited to the particular arrangement of connections shown and described for changing the length of the connecting-rod for operating the shiftable valveactuator; but it is obvious the arrangement shown and described is capable of numerous modifications within the scope and limits of my present invention. One of these modifications is illustrated in Fig. 6, which corresponds to a portion of Figs. 1 and 2, and the stop-motion arm 42 operates in connect-ion therewith in substantially the manner hereinbefore described. The upper end 95 of the changeable-length conneeting-rod is pivoted to the arm 42 at the point 81, and the lower end 95 of the connecting-rod is pivoted to said arm 42 at the point 83.

For preventing lateral displacement of the described connecting parts anysuitableguidelink, as 80, maybe employed, being connected at to some fixed stud on the frame-work and at 87 to the rod near the lower end thereof. According to this arrangement the stop-motion arm 42 is, in fact, a lever whose left-hand end is vertically movable, being carried up and down with the movement of the connection when the regulator is operated. \Vhen the regulator stands as shown in Fig. 1 and the stop-motion is then operated, the point 83 is substantially fixed, and the falling of the pin 45 and weight 44 moves up the point 81 and the part 95 of the changeablelength connecting-rod to elevate the links 112 and 114, as in Fig. 3, and thus retract the actuator 115, as there shown.

\Vhen preparing to use the machine, the wheel 48 is set at the point indicating by the figures thereon the required number of loads of grain to be weighed before the stop-motion shall automatically stop the machine. This is readily done by lifting the weight 44 by hand and turning the wheel until the proper figure on the rim 46 stands back adjacent to the point of the pawl 51. The machine being thus started, the stop-wheel is turned one division at each operation of the machine until, as above stated, the pin 45 drops (or makes its working stroke) through the slot 47, and by means of the shiftable connections closes the closer of the cut-off valve 70. It will be understood, of course, that the stop-wheel 48 may be made of a size and with a number of divisions corresponding to any required number of weighing operations; also, that other forms of register mechanism used for analogous purposes and adapted to be used in connection with the stop-motion lever-as, for instance, the stop-motion described in United States Letters Patent No. 408,192, granted to me July 30, 1889may be substituted for the wheel 48 without departing from my present invention. A spring may obviously be substituted for the weight44, to act upon the arm 2 in the direction of its working-stroke.

By the term shiftable valve -actuator, when the same is not otherwise defined, is meant any valve-actuator substantially sin1ilar in its function and mode of operation to the actuator 115, one such alternative form of actuator being shown in Figs. 12 and 13 of my aforesaid prior application; also, it will be understood that by the term actuatorshifting devices, when the same is not otherwise defined, is meant any well-known substitute in a regular grain-weigher of the general class herein described for the links 112 and 114, some of which substitutes are also shown in my aforesaid prior application.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- I 1. In a grain-weigher, the combination, with the scale beam and the cut-off Valve, of a shiftable valve-actuator having normally a fixed location on the scale-beam and stopmotion apparatus, substantially as described, operatively connected to shift said actuator for stopping the machine.

2. Ina grain-weigher, the combinatiomwith the scale-beam and the cut-off valve, of a shiftable valve actuator movable substantially radially of the beam, a fixed stud on the beam, actuator shifting devices, substantially as described, intermediate to said stud and the actuator, and stop-motion devices, substantially as described, operatively con nected to said actuator-shifting devices, for stopping the machine by shifting said actuator into an inoperative position.

3. In a grain-weigher, the combination, with the scale-beam and the cut-off valve, of the shiftable valve-actuator and actuator-shifting devices carried by the beam, a stud normally fixed relatively to the frame-work, and connections from said stud to said actuator-shifting devices, said connections consisting of two parts shiftable one relatively to the other and having a stop-motion connected to shift said parts relatively to each other for stop-.

ping the machine by shifting the valve-actuator into its inoperative position.

4. In a grain-weigher,the combination, with the scale-beam and the-cut-off valve and with a shiftable valve-actuator carried by the beam, of the toggle-links connected for operating said actuator, a stop-motion wheel connected to be intermittently operated by the scalebeam, and a stop-motion arm and shiftable connections, substantially as described, for stopping the machine by operating said toggle-links to shift the valve-actuator.

5. In a regulator grain-weigher, the combination, with the scale-beam and the cut-off valve, of a shiftable valve-actuator, a regulator connected to shift said actuator into an inoperative position, and stop-motion apparatus, substantially as described, connected intermediately of the regulator and actuator connection, for shifting the actuator independently of the regulator movement.

6. In a regulator grain-weigher,the combination, with the scale-beam and the cut-off valve and with the shiftable valve-actuator carried by the scale-beam, of the regulatorhopper, connect-ions, substantially as described, from the regulator-hopper to the valve-actuator, whereby said actuator is shifted into its inoperative position on the descending movement of the regulator, the regulator connections comprising a connectingrod having two parts,one shiftable relatively to the other, and stop-motion apparatus, substantially as described, connected for shifting said connecting-rod parts one relatively to the other for shifting the valve-actuator into its inoperative position independently of the movement of the regulator-hopper.

7. In a regulator grain-weigher, the combination, with the scale-beam and the cut-off valve and with the shiftable valve-actuator carried by the scale-beam, of the regulator, the connecting-rod operatively connecting the regulator and the shiftable valve-actuator, and consisting of the rods 95 and 95, connected to slide one relatively to the other, rod-slidingdevices, substantially as described, connecting said connecting-rod parts, and a stop-motion arm connected to operate said rod-sliding devices.

8. In a regulator grain-weigherhaving stopmotion apparatus intermediate to the regulator and shiftable valve-actuator, of the conmeeting-rod of changeable length, the stopmotion arm, and connections, substantially as described, intermediate to said-arm and rod, whereby the length of said connectingrod is changed on the working-stroke of the stop-motion arm.

9. In a regulator grain-weigher having stopmotion apparatus intermediate to the regulator and shiftable valve-actuator, of the connecting-rod of changeable length, the stopmotion arm, the stop-motion Wheel having a let-off notch and connected for intermittent forward movements registering the scalebeam movements, and connections, substantially as described, intermediate to the stopmotion arm and the connecting-rod, whereby the connecting-rod is changed in length for shifting the valve-actuator on the workingstroke of the stop-motion arm, and whereby the cut-off valve is closed when the notch of the stop-motion wheel reaches a predetermined point.

FRANCIS H. RICHARDS.

Witnesses:

HENRY L. RECKARD, Lnwrs G. IIEERMANN. 

